Material treating and handling apparatus



Nov. 7, 1939. J; D. FERRY MATERIAL TREATING AND HANDLING APPARATUS Fil ed June 15, 19:7

3 Sheets-Sheet 1 JOSEPH 0. FERPY Nov. 7, 1939. J. D. FERRY MATERIAL TREATING AND HANDLING APPARATUS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 15, 1937 JOSEPH 0. FERRY Patented Nov. 7, 1939 umreo'srA-res PATENT orricr.

MATERIAL TREATING AND APPARATUS HANDLING Joseph D. Fen-y, Harrisburg, Pa.; Sylvia o. Ferry, executrix of said Joseph D. Ferry, deceased Application June 15, 1937, Serial No. 148,377

9 Claims.

invention contemplates a revolving drum typeof washing apparatus, the drum being horizontallydisposed and partially submerged in the treating liquid-in a tank andreceiving in one end the freshly cut potatoes or slices which after being thoroughly washed are discharged from the opposite end thereof upon a discharge conveyor under the impetus of a forced circulation of washing liquid induced by means within the drum In the course of operation of the apparatus,

small slices or broken pieces of potatoes are screenedinto the tank "for subsequent removal and by means of a downward turn or bend of the circulating liquid at and near the discharge end of the drumfth slices of commercial size discharged from the drum are deposited on the discharge conveyor and distributed thereon, the

, foraminous nature of the conveyor permitting the circulating liquid to pass downwardly there- ;tlirou'gh.

-In this apparatus, the above-mentioned discharge conveyor is inclined with its lower end submerged in the tank liquid and located beneaththe discharge end of the washing drum, and it has been found that to bring to a state of maximum efliciency the proper distribution of only full sized potato slices desirable for cock- 'ing in a subsequent operation, it is essential that the submerged receiving end of the discharge conveyor be divorced at its upper receiving surface from the remainder of the tank in order to insure that it receive and discharge all slices emerging from the discharge end of the drum and at the same time only those which do so emerge.

To the above end, it is the primary object of the present invention to provide means forming a complete chamber above the chip or slice receiving portion of the discharge conveyor and around the saine, which chamber is closed to the reception of slices except those from the discharge end of the drum which opens into the said chamber.

The bottom of the slice receiving chamber above the discharge conveyor is, of course,

formed by the submerged receiving portionv of the discharge conveyor and thus the washing liquid operates in the chamber to settle the slices therein upon the conveyor as, in circulating; the'liquid passes downwardly through the conveyor, the result being to conserve for discharge on the conveyor all slices passing from the discharge end of the drum and to exclude' all other slices of smaller-than desired size and also broken portions of potatoes which would otherwise be discharged by the conveyor, en-

tailing waste in the subsequent cooking operation and manual elimination by picking over the product if uniformity thereof is to be maintained.

Another object of the invention is to provide in an apparatus of this character, movable baflie means internally of the washing drum and adjustable thereon for variably regulating the circulation of liquid through the drum and the Y quantity of slices, whereby to regulate the velocity and volume of slices as well as the length of the washing period within the drum.

A further object is to provide an adjustable tank liquid level, control means for increasing or decreasing the rate of discharge from the I drum outlet to regulate the velocity of the liquid passing from the drum and thus control the washing periodwithin the drum.

With the foregoing in mind, it is believed the present improvements will be better understood and more thoroughly appreciated from the following detailed description thereof and by reference to the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and illustrate the best mode so far devised for carrying the invention into practical efiect.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a washing apparatus embodying the present improvements.

Figure 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view taken substantially on line- 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a vertical transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is an, end view, partly in transverse section, looking in the opposite direction with view showing the upper section of the baffle wall elevated.

Figure 8 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus with the drum in section, and illustrating by full and dotted lines various positions at which the drum agitator elements may be angled relative to the drum axis. I

Figure 9 is a vertical section taken on the line 99 of Figure 8.

Figure 10 is a fragmentary top plan view of the apparatus with the drum partly in section but illustrating an alternative embodiment of drum construction.

Figure 11 is a detail elevation, partly in section, of the starch remover and liquid level control drain pipe embodied in the invention.

Referring now particularly to Figures 1 and 2 and the general structure to which the present improvements are applied, potatoes are fed in any suitable manner, as by means of a bucket conveyor ID, to a slicing mechanism H which discharges the slices downwardly and individually into a slice .receiving member or basket l2 having its lower portion including its reticulated or foraminous inclined base l3 submergedin the washing liquid l4 within the tank 15.

The slice or chip receiving basket l2, which is open to the passage of upwardly directed streams of circulating washing liquid through its perforated base l3 for the purpose of agitating the freshly cut slices and obviating adhesion thereof, is located immediately below the slicing mechanism H in the receiving end of the washing tank I5, and discharges through a laterally opening discharge mouth as shown particularly in Figure 2, into the reduced, tapering and imperforate receiving end or ring I6 of a horizontal, longitudinally extending washing drum or cylinder generally indicated at IT. This drum, whose reticulated or foraminous wall formed from expanded metal screens outwardly into the tank i5 any undersized slices or broken particles of potatoes, terminates at its opposite end in a reduced, tapering and imperforate discharge end or ring it oppositely disposed with respect to the receiving ring l6 and similar in shape thereto except that it has a final cylindrical discharge mouth I 9 for a purpose which will presently appear.

The drum ll, which is removably positioned in the tank in the manner set forth in my aforementioned patent application, revolves with its axial operating shaft 20 and on this shaft are central and end impellers 2|, of which the end impellers, it will be noted, are located within the imperforate end rings l6 and I8 and are of greater diameter respectively than the receiving and discharge ends of the drum so as to induce a forceful inrush of washing liquid and slices into the inlet end of the drum and a forceful discharge of outgoing liquid and slices through the discharge mouth l9.

Without going into the details set forth in my above mentioned application as to further functions of the drum I1 and its removability from the tank 15, details which do not enter into the present improvements, it will be noted that the discharge mouth IQ of the substantially submerged drum ll opens toward, and in spaced relation to the end wall 22 at the discharge end of the tank l5, which end wall is laterally extended to also form one side wall of an inclined lateral branch 23 of the tank whose width is approximately equal to the width of the space hetween the end wall 22 and the discharge mouth IQ of the drum.

In the lateral branch 23 of the tank there is disposed an endless reticulated or foraminous slice discharge conveyor 24 which may be driven from any suitable source and may be coupled through driving connections 25 with the drum shaft 20 as seen in Figure 2. The upper outer portion of the conveyor 24 emerges from, and extends above the washing water for discharging the washed or treated slices, as for instance to a cooking apparatus, while the lower inner submerged portion of the conveyor extends below the discharge mouth IQ of the drum with one side immediately alongside the end wall 22 of the tank.

The other or inner side of conveyor 24 extends closely alongside the lower permanently located section 26 of a baifle member or wall which ex-- tends across the tank l5 below the horizontal center of the drum I1 and has a semi-cylindrical recess 21 conforming to the lower portion of the drum discharge mouth I9, as clearly illustrated in Figures 4 and 6. The baflle section 26 is fixedly secured to upright angle bars 28 riveted or otherwise fastened to the side walls of the tank I 5, the upper portions of these bars forming guides for the removable uppersection 29 of the baflle member or wallwhose lower edge has a semi-cylindrical recess 30 conforming to the upper portion of the discharge mouth I9 so that the space above the lower end of the conveyor 24 is thus efiectively separated from the main washing chamber of the tank IS.

The upper baflle section 29 has at one end an oflset cleat 3| to engage one of the bars 28 and at its other end seats between the opposite bar 28 and the adjacent edge of the apron 32 which inclines downwardly and inwardly from the tank wall opposite the end of conveyor 24 and terminates in a lower curved lip 33 immediately above the said conveyor adjacent to its lower extremity thus completing the slice discharge chamber above the receiving end of conveyor 24.

The provision of a slice discharge chamber which is isolated or separated from the remainder of the washing tank, insures the deposit of all slices discharged from the drum onto the conveyor 24 and at the same time avoids all-danger of any undersized slices or broken pieces of potatoes finding their way into the discharged product after having been ejected into the tank from the drum.

With reference to Figures 3, .4 and 6, it will be seen that the upper baflie section 29 is provided with a plurality of apertures 29 for passage of liquid and surface starch therethrough. These figures also illustrate that the baflie section 29 has an upper bent edge 34 which forms a handle and thus facilitates its removal by a vertical sliding movement preparatory to the removal of the drum I! from the washing tank.

As shown in Figures 1 and 8, the interior of the drum I! in that portion between the intake impeller 2| and the central impeller is provided with a circumferential series of agitator elements 35, preferably comprising sections of angle iron disposed longitudinally of the drum parallel to the drum shaft. These elements, preferably four in number, are equidistantly spaced apart and are secured to the expanded metal screen periphery of the drum by attaching members 36, here shown as bolts, passed through a flange of each section and engaged with the screen "meshes; the other flange of each section constituting a web extending radially inward of the drum as in .my said prior patent application.

Between the central impeller and the outlet impeller 2| in the delivery end IS, the interior of the drum is further provided with a second circumferential series of agitator elements 31 which, like the agitators 35, are of angle ironsections similarly secured to the inner face of the drum periphery by others of the bolts 36. These agitators 31 have a double function in that they also provide movable baille or impeller means operable to vary the velocity of the circulating bath liquid and the quantity of potato slices passing through the drum, whereby to regulate the washing period for the slices'and also the quantity to be passed in a given time. v

To accomplish the baflle or impeller function,

the members 31 are disposed longitudinally of the drum with their radial web flanges 38 occupying planes, angled with respect to the axis of the drum. In the fullline position illustrated 'in Figures 1 and 8, the members 31 are so arranged drum outlet l8 and their trailing endsbeing adjacent the central impeller; it being understood that the drum rotates clockwise as indicated by reference characters.

the arrows in Figures 1 and 9.

It is apparent that if their angles are reversed, as shown by dotted lines in Figure 8, the members 31 will act as impellers and will then accelerate the passage of the slices and liquid through the drum. q

The webs 38 of the members 31, as shown in Figure 9, forcibly take the slices along the periphery of the drum under the liquid and release them on the surface of the liquid. As the liquid is in motion toward the outlet of the drum, the slices -in floating across are also carried lengthwise of the drum. In this way, the slices are advance step by step toward the outlet.

The velocity and quantity regulating effect of the agitator baflles, 31 is adiustably variable to provide for regulating the passage of liquid and slices through the washing drum at a desired velocity and quantity. Due to the fact that the members 31 are detachably secured to the expanded metal screen comprising the drum periphery it is obvious that they may be adjusted atpdifferent angles; the multiple meshes of the screen permitting a wide range of location for the attaching bolts. The greater the angle of the agitator bafiles 31 with respect to the'axis of the drum, the greater will be their accelerating or retarding effect as they move transversely across the line of flow ofthe circulating liquid and material within the drum during its rotation.

In the alternative embodiment of thewashing drum as illustratedin Figure 10, all parts of the apparatus identical with similar parts shown in the preceding views are indicated by the same In this embodiment the only difference is in the drum itself, it being of shorter length and of different internal arrangement. In some installations of the washing apparatus, especially where conservation of floor space is a controlling factor, it may be found desirable to employ a relatively short drum such as IT in Figure 10, having a structure identical with that of the preceding views except that it has no central impeller, utilizing only the end impellers 2| in'the drum ends l8 and I8. Also in this embodiment, the drum is provided internally with -a circumferential series of agitator baflies 31' identical to the agitator baffles 31 as shown in Figure 8 and similarly inclined or angled with respect to the axis of the drum, and for the same purpose.

In conjunction with the variable agitator baiiie arrangement already described, the rate of circulation of the liquid within the tank and drum is controlled by regulating the height of the liquid level within the tank. To this end the tank is provided, as is the tank described in my said prior patent application, with a drain pipe 39 leading from the discharge end ofthe tank and in communication with a combined starch receiver and drain sleeve All extending into the chamber above the slice conveyor 24 transversely across the same and'substantially in line with the rear wall of the tank at substantially the height of the topof the drum discharge mouth it. The

receiver 40 cooperates with a spray head 12 carried by the tank, which head in the operation of the machine discharges a pressure spray of liquid over the surface of the liquid bath in the slice discharge chamber, driving the accumulated surface froth of starch and foam into the longitudinal slot ,4! in the receiver sleeve 40 for discharge from the machine.

As best seenin Figure 11, the receiver sleeve 40' is mounted on the drain pipe for rotatable adjustment being held in any desired adjusted position by means of a set screw 44. The receiver 40 has secured thereon a fixed casing 45 of some suitable screen material providing a guard to prevent possibility of slices being forced into the drain under influence of the spray from the head 42.

The location of the lower edge of the drain port or slot ll in the adjustable receiver sleeve 40 determines the height of liquid within the tank. This is apparent from Figure 11 wherein it is obvious that as the sleeve 40 is adjusted to bring the lower edge of port 41 higher the liquid level within the tank will be raised accordingly. When the sleeve is oppositely moved the reverse is true and the liquid level is lowered.

It will be noted that the above described adjustment of the liquid level within the tank occurs in the zone of the top of the drum inlet and discharge mouth l9, as shown in Figure 4, ranging somewhat above and below a horizontal plane corresponding increase in the velocity of liquid circulating through the drum and' results in shortening the period of washing within the drum. When the liquid level is raised the discharge area of the drum mouth I9 is correspondingly decreased, thus checking the flow of lquid from the drum, correspondingly lengthening the period of washing in the drum, and permitting it to fill with more slices.

This velocity control of the circulating liquid by regulation of the liquid level within the-tank relative to the discharge mouth of the drum, combined with the velocity control within the drum obtained by adjustment of the angle of the agitator baffles, enables an extreme nicety of control of the washing period so'that the machine from head 42 will be arrested by the baffle 41.

The front face of the baflie is provided with a 15 deflector 48 extending forwardly and downwardly beneath the receiver pipe 40 and which functions to direct the spray forced material which passes the receiver pipe downwardly and forwardly within the chamber above the conveyor 20 24 so that it returns to the surface in advance of the receiver pipe.

The baille is vertically adjustable on bolts 49 carried by a bracket 50 mounted on the top of the walls of the tank branch 23, the baiiie 85 being provided with vertical slots 5| through which the bolt stems are passed. The bolts are of the conventional clamping typeso that when tightened the baffle 41 will be clamped in position against the bracket 50.

80 In the operation of the machine, the slices fed from the slicer H are received in the basket [2 and are therein thoroughly separated and agitated by the lifting force of the liquid jets of the circulating bath liquid entering through the mul- 88 tiple perforations of the inclined bottom l3. The basket delivers to the inlet end l6 of the rotary drum H, the impeller 2| acting forcefully to draw the liquid and slices into the drum between the end and central impeller. The slices within 40 the drum are subjected to a compound movement as they travel longitudinally through the drum, being lifted from the bath and resubmerged therein at repeated intervals by the lifting and conveying action of the agitator vanes 35, so

45 that the resultant 'movement is diagonally of the drum. The central impeller maintains the forceful positive travel of the slices and assists in effecting the circulation of the liquid.

Beyond the central impeller the slices are sub- 50 jected to further agitation and washing by the action of the agitator baffles 31, and the velocity of theliquid is regulated to a desired degree by the action of the baflle webs 38, as hereinbefore described. At the discharge end of the drum the 55 circulating liquid carrying the slices is forcefully ejected from the discharge mouth l9 by means of the end impeller 2| in the end l8, the slices entering the chamber at the discharge end of the tank and being uniformly distributed over the adjacent submerged end of the discharge conveyor 24 by which they are removed from the machine.

Within. the chamber at the discharge end the 85 surface accumulation of starch and froth is re--' moved by the pressure spray and receiver pipe 40, and the. liquid level of the circulating bath is regulated by adjustment of the pipe 40, all as described. The liquid passes downwardly 70 through the reticulated conveyor and returns beneath the baflle 26 along the tank bottom to reenter the inlet end of the drum through the jet apertures in the inclined bottom i3 of the basket I2.

75 The apertures 29' in, the upper baille portion 29 over the drum discharge mouth I9 permit free passage .of the surface liquid and starch to the discharge chamber while at the same time straining out all floating particles such as broken and undersized slices. This prevents the formation 5 of back currents along the surface of the liquid bath so that there will be uniformity of circulation of the liquid.

Havingthus described the invention, what is claimed is: 10

1. In an apparatus for washing potato slices, a tank for holding a washing liquid, a rotatable drum therein having inlet and outlet ends and a reticulated wall for screening broken and under-size slices into the tank, means for feeding potato slices into the inlet end of the drum, means for inducing a forced. circulation of liquid through the drum from the inlet to the outlet ends thereof and in the reverse direction below the drum, a vertical baflle wall across the tank and having an opening receiving the outlet end of the drum, said baflle wall being spaced from the adjacent end wall of the tank and above the tank bottom, a reticulated discharge conveyor having its receiving end extending across and 26 beneath the said outlet end'of the drum in close relation to said end wall of the tank and said baflle wall, and an apron extending from the adjacent side wall of the tank and having its lower end closely overlying the conveyor to co- 30 operate with said baflle wall, said end wall of the tank and said conveyor in forming a chamber whereof said conveyor constitutes the bottom into which the drum discharges, said chamber serving to prevent the washed slices discharged from said drum from entering the main body of washing liquid in the tank and also preventing the broken or under-size slices screened into the washing liquid by the drum from' coming into the operative range of the receiving end of 40 the discharge conveyor. 2. In an apparatus for washing chips of potatoes, a tank for holding a washing liquid, a rotatable reticulated drum therein, and having inlet and discharge ends and a cylindrical discharge mouth at its discharge end, means for feeding potato slices into the inlet end of said drum means within the drum for forcing slices and washing liquid therethrough and through said discharge mouth, a reticulated discharge conveyor having its receiving end extending beneath the said discharge mouth adjacent to one end of the tank, and a baffle wall across the tank above and at one side of the said conveyor extending between the same and the remaining portion of the tank surrounding the drum, said drum being removable and said baflle wall being in upper and lower sections having recesses conforming to the upper and lower portions ofthe discharge mouth of said drum.

3. In a potato slice washing apparatus, a tank containing a treating liquid, a rotary drum partially submerged in the liquid and having open inlet and outlet ends, means for circulating the liquid in said tank and longitudinally through said drum, means for feeding potato slices to the inlet of said drum, a reticulated slice conveyor for removing the washed slices from the liquid and having a portion disposed beneath the outlet end of the drum, a radially extending bafhe surrounding the outlet end of the drum constructed and arranged to cooperate with the walls of the tank and said conveyor for preventing the passage of slices discharged from the drum from entering the main body of liquid in 7 anaoss 5 said tank, and said bafiie having a reticulated top portion permitting free passage of the tank liquid and surface starch therethrough.

4. In a potato slice washing apparatus, a tank. a rotary reticulated drum therein and partially submerged by liquid in the tank, means for feeding potato slices into one end of said drum, means for discharging slices from the other end thereof, said means comprising impellers forcefully moving the tank liquid longitudinally through the drum, and said drum being provided internally with vanes movable by rotation of the drum and adjustable thereon to an angle relative to thedrum axis to regulate the flow of liquid through the drum.

5. In a potato'slice washing apparatus, a tank, a rotary drum therein and partially submerged by liquid in the tank, liquid impeller means at each end of thedrum for moving the tank liquidforcefully therethrough from one end to the other, said impeller means creating a circulation of the liquid within the tank and through the drum, means for delivering potato slices to the inlet end of said drum, means for discharging the slices with the circulating liquid from the outlet end of the drum, and circumferentially spaced,

internal, radially extending webs in said drum adjustable thereon to an angle relative to the drum axis to regulate the velocity of the liquid circulating therethrough, said webs also serving to intermittently submergethe slices in the liquid and release the same on the surface thereof for floating with the lengthwise movement of the liquid and across the drum.

6. In a potato slice washing apparatus, a tank containing a washingliquid, a drum rotatable in the tank and having a reticulated periphery, said drum having an open inlet end and an open discharge end, impeller means at each end of said drum and operable to maintain a constant forceful circulation of the liquid longitudinally through the drum and within the tank, means for feeding potato slices to the circulating liquid at the inlet end of the drum, means for removing the slices from the circulating liquid adjacent the outlet end of the drum, agitator elements secured to the internal periphery of said drum and having radially extending webs for intermittently submerging the slices in the liquid and releasing the same on the surface thereof for floating with the lengthwise movement of the liquid, and certain of said agitator elements being adjustable to an angle relative to the drum axis to present faces inclined to the flow of liquid circulating through the drum whereby to regulate its velocity while passing through the drum.

'7. In an apparatus for treating potato slices, a tank containing a treating liquid, a rotatable reticulated drum partially submerged in the tank liquid and elective to screen therefrom undersized slices, said drum having inlet and outlet ends, means for feeding slices into the inlet end of said drum, means for inducing a forced circulation of liquid through the drum from the inlet to the outlet ends thereof and in the reverse direction below the drum, a reticulated slice discharge conveyor having a receiving portion below the outlet end of said drum, and a partition between the outlet end portion of the drum and the receiving portion of the conveyor and at least in part surrounding the outlet end portion of the drum, said partition cooperating with said receiving portionof the discharge conveyor and walls of said tank in defining a chamber whereof the conveyor constitutes the bottom for receiving slices and, liquid discharged from said drum and confining the slices for removal by the conveyor while excluding the undersized slices from the conveyor.

8. In an apparatus for treating potato slices, a tank containing a treating liquid, a rotatable reticulated drum partially submerged in the tank liquid and effective to screen therefrom undersized slices, said drum having inlet and outlet ends, means for feeding slices into the inlet end of said drum, means for inducing a forced circulation of liquid through the drum from the inlet to the outlet endsthereof'and in the reverse directionbelow the drum, and a reticulated slice conveyor having the receiving portion below the outlet end of said drum, and a vertical partition between the outlet end portion of said drum and the receiving portion of said conveyor and surrounding the outlet end portion of the drum and having its bottom edge spaced from the tank bottom and its upper edge located above the level of the tank liquid, said partition cooperating with said receiving portion of the discharge conveyor and walls of said tank in defining a chamber whereof the conveyor constitutes the bottom for receiving slices and liquid discharged from said drum and confining the slices for removal by the conveyor while excluding the undersized slices I from the conveyor.

9. In a potato slice washing apparatus, a tank, a rotatable reticulated drum therein and partially submerged by liquid in the tank, said drum having inlet and outlet ends, means for feeding potato slices into the inlet end of said drum, means for inducing a forceful circulation of'the tank liquid longitudinally through the drum, and said drum being provided internally with radially extending vanes secured to the drum for rotation therewith, said vanes being adjustable on said drum to an angle relative to the drum axis to present faces inclined to the flow of liquid circulating through the drum whereby to regulate its velocity while passing through the drum.

JOSEPH D. FERRY. 

